Peter

Dec 4, 2019

First and probably last time with Southwest

My family traveled on Southwest for the very first (and probably last) time this past Sunday. We booked Business Select tickets from Nassau to Providence with a stop in Baltimore. It was supposed to depart at 4:10 PM. We knew they were expecting bad weather in Baltimore so we were checking the flight status all morning. At about 1, I received a text stating the flight from Baltimore (not Nassau) was cancelled. I called customer service and their suggestion was to get to Baltimore and then figure out how to get home from there. We checked in at Nassau ~3 hours before departure and were told we weren't flying that day. Apparently the entire trip was cancelled. A few minutes later, I get another text stating we're rebooked on a flight the next day with a ~8 hour layover in Ft. Lauderdale. Neither my wife or I could miss work the next day so we told them we had to get to Baltimore and would rent a car and drive home if necessary. It would have been a rough ~7 hour trip in rain/sleet/snow but we didn't have a choice. I reserved a car at that point. After much waiting around, they rebooked us on the same Baltimore flight but this time it was on Wanna Get Way tickets. At no point we were told this. I specifically paid top dollar for the Business Select tickets for a few reasons, including the ability to board early so our family could sit together. We were also presented with flight vouchers, each worth ~$200 with no explanation. We assumed it was because the original flight was cancelled but it turned it was because they cancelled the Baltimore to Providence fight altogether. When we boarded the plane, there were only single seats available so my 8 and 10 year old kids each sat with strangers. I spoke to the gate agent at BWI and asked if there was any way we could get on the later flights to Providence or Boston that night. Eventually they were able to book me on the last flight to Providence and the rest of my family on the last flight to Boston. However, in addition to using the vouchers we received earlier in the day, we had to pay an additional ~$350. I called their executive customer service today to complain. They offered to refund the extra money paid and also offered $75 ea in vouchers but I still think we should have been entitled to much more. They wouldn't even add the extra Rapid Rewards points we missed out on because the fare class was changed. If they communicated better I would be more understanding but it was a disaster!